Metal cleaning machine



Feb. 5, 1935.

, C. W. DAKE ET AL Fi led June 14, i955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 muenToYs ,5 Charles \J. DaKe dohniE. L'mabm-% BY 1 {Ml-MW W A TTORNE Y6,

Feb. 5, 1935. w DAKE T AL 1,990,318

METAL CLEANING MACHINE Filed Jun-c 14, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Charles \J. DaKe dohn E. L'maburB A TTORNEY \nvenToYs Feb. 5, 1935. c w DAKE ET AL A 1,990,318

METAL CLEAN I NG MACHIN E Filed Jun-o 1.4, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 \nOenTovs Qmfles \J. bake dohn E. 'ngabuvx AK/MM? MW A TTORNE Y6 Feb. 5, 1935. I c. w. DAKE ET AL 1,990,318

METAL CLEANING MACHINE Filed June 14, 1955 5 sheets-sheet 4 1 L11 I/II III/I h'IUQfiTQfS 37 41 MM,

dohn E. Linaom'k 4g 42 Q A .4 TTORNEYJ Feb. 5, 1935. c. w.' DAKE El AL METAL CLEANING MACHINE Filed Juna 14, 1935 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 \nu'e ova m b 3m m Patented Feb. 5, 1935 PATENT OFFICE METAL CLEANING MACHINE Charles W. Dake, Grand Haven, and John E.

Linabury, Pontiac, Mich., assignors to Campbell, Wyant & Cannon Foundry Company,

Muskegon Michigan Heights, Mich., a corporation of Application June 14, 1933, Serial No. 675,686

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in metal cleaning machines, and is particularly concerned with machines for removing scale, sand or the like from the surfaces of steel and cast iron;

.5 and specifically the present invention is concerned with a machine for readily cleaning the scale from. composite brake drums in which an outer shell of steel is lined and has fused thereto an inner wearing or braking band of cast iron.

In the manufacture of composite brake drums of this character; the steel drum is heated to a high degree of temperature, placed in a rotating chuck and while the same is rotating, melted iron at a much higher degree of temperature is de- 15 posited therein and is distributed through centrifugal action evenly over the inner face of the drum and makes a complete fused bonded connection to the steel. The heating of the drum causes the production of' scale at its exposed surfaces while the cast iron at its-inner side is covered with a scale the same as are all castings, and particularly in the present case where the molten iron is exposed to the air during the time that it is solidifying. It is to be understood, however, that the present method and the mechanism for practicing the same are not restricted in any sense to brake drums but are available for. the cutting and removing of scale from the sur-' faces of steel and cast iron irrespective of the form which the steel or cast iron may take. The machine for different forms may require specifically different structure but the method and principles of operation remain the same.

An understanding of the invention for the attainment of the above stated objects, as well as. many others not at thistime stated, may be had 'from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a vertical side elevation of a machine for carrying out our invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical side elevation ent side of the machine substantially at angles to the view shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, the housing or cabinet in which the articles are cleaned having sides removed to disclose the mechanism within the same.

Fig. 4 is a like view but at a different angle, that is, at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the plane of line A-A of Fig. 3,1ooking downwardly as indicated.

Fig. 6 is a similar horizontal section substantially on the line B-B of Fig. 4, and'lookingin a downward direction.

from a differ-' right Fig. '7 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 0-0 of Fig. 4, looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 8 is a perspective diagrammatic-view indicating the action of the rotary impellers which 5 project the abrasive cleaning material against the article to be cleaned.

Fig. 9 is a vertical section and side elevation of the impeller construction.

Fig. 10 is an end elevation thereof with parts 10 of the housing for the same shown in vertical section.

Fig. 11 is an end elevation of the inner side of the rotary impeller, and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged vertical longitudinal sec-' 15 tion through the impeller assembly.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

-In the construction disclosed, a housing or cabinet 1, preferably hexagonal in shape, is provided, having an opening 2 in one side thereof through which the composite drums are entered into the machine and removed therefrom. The inner sides of the housing are lined with rubber, as rubber does not wear away under the action 25 of the abrasive material which may be projected thereagainst but merely yields on impact and throws the material back.

The abrasive material comes from a hopper 3 abovethe cabinet 1 and is carried from the lower end thereof through flexible tubes 4 to rotary impellers, the construction and operation of which will be hereinafter described, directed andthrown against the object to be cleaned and passes by gravity down the inclined bottom 1a (Fig. 3) of the housing to apit 5, from which the same is elevated by an elevator 6 to a hopper 7, thence leading through an outlet spout or chute 8 to a hopper 9, from which it passes through a cleaning housing 10; and a current of air is drawn through the housing as the abrasive shot drops therethrough on its way to the hopper 3 to remove the dust. The dust is drawn outwardly through a-pipe 11, and at the same time dust is exhausted from the housing 1 through a pipe 12 connected with the pipe 11. Any suitable suction blower may be used for inducing or causing the air current to carry said dust, it being understood that the vertical side of the cleaning housing 10 has openings therein for air entrance. The cleaning abrasive materialreturns to the hopper 3 and the quantity passing to the outlet tubes 4 is governed by a manually operable valve 13 at the lower end of the hopper 3. i The abrasive material may be any suitable ma- A sleeve '16 is connected with said housing and extends upwardly to and enters a partition or table 17 which is of a hollow form as shown in Fig. 7. Within said table and between the upper and lower sides thereof the sleeve 16 has a recessed wheel 18 secured thereto to cooperate with which is a roller 19 having a projection 20 at one side, the roller being fixed on a shaft 21 which is driven in any suitable manner from an electric motor 22 located at the upper side of the stationary table 17. There are three recesses or notches in the wheel 18 into which the projection 20 consecutively enters to turn said wheel 18,the sleeve 16 and the housing 15 with its mechanism one-third of a revolution with each complete revolution of the roller 19. This is the well known Geneva movement and need not be further described.

A shaft 23 extends upwardly from the pedestal 14 and is driven continuously by any suitable mechanism (not shown) which may be an electric motor housed in the pedestal 14 or. the source of power may be from outside of the mechanism. A beveled gear 24 is secured to said shaft within the housing 15 and is in mesh with three beveled gears 25. The housing 15, as shown in Fig. 5, is substantially an equilateral triangle in cross section and from each of the gears 25 a shaft 26 extends outwardly, the shafts being mounted in suitable bearings carried by the respective sides of the housing 15. Each shaft 28 carries a pinion 27 which is in mesh-with two pinions 28, one at each side of their pinion 27. From the pinions 28 shafts 29 extend outwardly through and beyond the sides of the housing 15 and at'their outer end portions are supplied with rollers 30. Suitable bracket supports for the shafts 29 are provided and carried by the sides of the hous- 18 15.

From each corner of the housing 15, as shown in Fig. 5, partition members 31 extend outwardly,

each being equipped at its outer end with a flexible member 32 which is adapted to come against vertical channels 33 extending in from alternate sides of the cabinet 1 and to bear against one edge of said channel members 33 when the housing 15 is at rest, that is, during the intervals between the time that the projection 20 engages in a recess of the wheel 18 to thereby turn the housing 15 and the mechanism carried thereby one-third of a revolution. The structure described in effect divides the cabinet 1 into three compartments.

' The rollers 30 are adapted to carry the composite brake drum 34 which is located on and above the rollers by passing the same through the opening 2 in a side of the housing as shown in Fig. 2. After the drum has been located in place and has started to turn on the rollers 30, the housing is moved one step or one-third of a revolution to carry the drum into the next succeeding compartment in which it is acted upon by the abrasive shot to clean the same of scale, is then carried into the next succeeding compartment and finally back into the initial compartment where it is removed and replaced by a new drum; and it is evident that the three sets of rollers 30 in succession come to the loading compartment or the one which has the opening 2 where the cleaned drum may be removed from the rollers and a. new one placed thereon in place of the one which has been cleaned.

On the underside of the fixed table or partition 17 an electric motor 35 is mounted suitably housed by housing 38 to protect the same from dust and with an additional housing 3'1 extending therefrom of the form shown in Fig. 10 which, at its outer end, carries a shield 38. The motor shaft 39 extends lengthwise through the housing 37 and has a plate 40 detachably secured at its end. An impeller wheel 41 of hardened or chilled cast iron with a hardened steel plate 42 are secured to the plate 40 by means of the bolts shown, the hardened steel plate 42 being located between the plate 40 and the impeller wheel 41. The impeller wheel 41 has a central longitudinal opening 43 of relatively large size and the inner face of the impeller wheel 41 is provided with a series of passages 44 which extend from the inner end of said opening 43 substantially radially outward to the periphery of the wheel. These grooves or passages 44 are closed at their open side by the hardened steel plate 42 but are open at both ends- The abrasive material, the cracked white iron shot from the hopper 3 passing through the tubes 4, is carried into the openings 43 of the impeller wheels. As shown there are two of these impeller assemblies, each driven by an electric motor and there are two outlet tubes 4 from the hopper 3. The abrasive shot is delivered substantially against the hardened steel plate 42 of the impeller wheels so as to enter the passages 44, and be thrown outwardly by centrifugal action through said passages. Normally said shot .is thrown in a downward direction by a combined action of centrifugal force and gravity and the shield 38 serves as a guard preventing outward throwing of the shot except in a downward direction so as to impact against the surfaces of the drum 34 as shown in Fig. 8.

The abrasive shot is thrown outwardly and scatters and separates striking the outer surface of the drum or the outer steel part of the drum and also against the inner surface of the drum to cut and ,clean the scale from the cast iron within the same.

The construction described is of a practical and fully operative character. The impeller wheels are driven at a high speed so as to have a speed approximating as high as six thousand to eight thousand feet per minute at the periphery of said impeller wheels. The striking of the cracked hardened iron shot against the surfaces on which scale has been formed in production of the brake drum serves to very rapidly cut and clean such surfaces, removing all dirt, dross and scale which must be done before the same are acceptable to the trade. And with the mechanism described and following the method outlined this cleaning of the surfaces is accomplished with great rapidity and in an economical manner.

While we have shown and described a specific form of mechanism it is to be understood that variations in the mechanismmay be resorted to without departing from the invention which is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within the scope of the appended claims defining the invention.

We claim:

1. In a construction of the class described, an impeller wheel comprising a supporting head, a wear resisting plate secured to the face of said head, and a metal member of cylindrical form located against said plate and secured to said head, said member having a central longitudinal opening therein of relatively large size and having at its inner face, where the same bears against said plate, aplurality of substantially radial passage grcoves whereby when the same is placed against the plate said passages are closed on all sides and are open at both ends. v

2. In a machine of the class described, a 1'0- tatable shaft, an impeller mounted thereon, and means for feeding abrasive material to said impeller, said impeller having a number of radially extending grooves, said grooves having equal cross sectional area throughout their length.

3. In a device of the type described, a closed housing, a stationary table mounted near the top thereof, abrasive projecting mechanism located underneath one side of the table, work supporting 'means, means for revolubly mounting the work supporting means underneath the table, three equidistantly positioned partitions extending radially from a vertical axis extending downwardly centrally through the table, means to revolve the work supporting means and complementary members extending inwardly from the housing at equidistancy spaced points thereon for the purpose described.

4. In a mechanism of the class described, a pedestal, a housing revolubly mounted upon said pedestal, a shaft extending axially of and being revolubly mounted in said pedestal, said shaft also extending into the housing in alinement with the axis about which the housing revolves, a beveled gear located upon said shaft within the housing, a plurality of shafts mounted in the housing at right angles to the axis of the first mentioned shaft, beveled pinions on the said plurality of shafts meshing with the said beveled gear, means to drive the first mentioned shaft, a brake drum supporting means connected to and driven by each of the plurality of shafts and their pinions whereby thebrake drum may be revolubly supported thereon and means for turning the housing about its axisfor the purpose described.

5. A mechanism of the class described as set forth in claim 4 in which the means for turning the housing consists of a Geneva mechanism.

6. A mechanism as set forth in claim 4 in which the housing has a sleeve rigidly attached thereto, said sleeve extending in alinement with the first mentioned shaft and being located at the opposite side of the housing, said first mentioned shaft extending upwardly into the sleeve whereby alinement between the several parts is attained, and means for rotating the said sleeve as desired.

7. In a metal cleaning machine of the class described, a vertically located pedestal, a housing revolubly mounted for rotation about the vertical axis of the said pedestal, said housing including three sides of triangular shape, vertically located partitions extending radially outward from the three junctures between the three sides of the said housing, brake drum supporting means located exteriorly of each of the three walls of the housing, means extending through the three walls of the housing for supporting the brake drum revolving means and driving the same, a cabinet-surrounding the housing, said cabinet having three inwardly extending partitions adapted to extend close to the first mentioned partitions and be in alinement therewith at certain times and means for turning the said housing.

8. In a device as set forth in claim '7 in which the turning means is a Geneva movement, said movement being synchronized so that the period of stoppage occurs with the several partitions in alined position.

9. In a machine for purging scale and/or sand from metal surfaces, a cabinet having six vertically located sides, the alternate sides having short inwardly extending partitions, one of said sides having a removable closure therein, a pedestal located interiorly of said casing, a housing including three vertically extending sides, partitions extending from said housing at its edges adapted to be cooperatively associated with the first mentioned partitions whereby, at certain times, three closed chambers are formed, a stationary table located above the said housing, rotative means for projecting granular abrasive material against the surface to be purged, means for mounting the rotative means underneath the table above one of the chambers which does not have the opening leading thereinto, brake 'drum supporting means extending from each of the three sides of the housing and means for turning the said housing whereby the brake drum supporting means are carried from one chamber to the other.

10. In a machine as set forth in claim 9 in which the means for turning the housing and its appurtenances is mounted above the said table.

11. A machine as set forth in claim 9in which means is provided for simultaneously rotating the brake drum supporting means.

CHARLES W. DAKE. JOHN E. LINABURY. 

